I got my driver’s license last March. What could be better than finally being able to drive? For me, and so many teens in the United States, driving represents freedom. After all, commercials on TV, pictures on the cover of magazines, ads disguised as cameos in movies and today’s many posts on social media all promote the idea that cars are the ultimate liberator. However, due to automobiles wreaking havoc on our cities,  the car-centric culture America has constructed must come to an end. 

Car dependency is beyond isolating and coming out of a pandemic, this is the last thing we need. Having cities reliant on cars for even short trips makes getting together with friends something that has to be planned out and in today’s fast-paced world leaves Americans using social media as their main form of communication. 

Unfortunately, this is the reality most Americans find themselves in. Having an infrastructure that revolves around cars only contributes to the epidemic of loneliness and isolation that  Americans are facing according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Having poor public transportation and roads that are dangerous or nearly impossible to safely bike and walk do not just limit our ability to get places, it also hampers the amount of space available for groups to gather making places like greenspaces, community centers and sit down local cafes a rarity. To the extent that they do exist, they’re usually underfunded or struggle to keep their doors open. This is not because of a lack of interest in so-called “third spaces”, but rather because reaching them is far less convenient than going through the chain coffee company’s drive-thru while you’re already out driving. 

Having car-dependent cities is not the only reason for America’s loneliness problem, but bettering infrastructure to be more community centered is undoubtedly a start to remedying it. More cities where walking, biking and quality public transportation is the norm would inevitably lead to more much needed connections being fostered. 

Looking at Altoona’s unpredictable weather patterns it is easy to scoff at the idea that investing in infrastructure more suitable for people would be logical. But, that argument fails to consider that The Netherlands, a country with a mean temperature of 68 Fahrenheit and routine bouts of snow, wind and rain has the highest number of routine bike trips. Additionally, the push towards people centered travel should not just include biking or walking paths, quality and reliable public transportation must also be provided. 

Altoona being a city geared towards the people that live here is not some foreign and unrealistic idea. On August 7, 1954, the Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway Company completed its final trip. This electric trolley system stretched all over Altoona and Logan Valley, but today all that remains of Altoona’s lack of car dependency is a $20 DVD copy sold at local historical societies around town. I am not trying to romanticize the early to mid 1900s, but how cool would it be to have reliable public transportation? Not only for practicality, but also for building the sense of community Altoona has seemingly lost throughout the years. Our city’s once robust downtown that lit up because people were able to easily access it has largely disappeared, but it is not ignorant to think that we can get it back. In fact, we must in order to revitalize our town.